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New video chat service ChatVille pairs strangers together on Facebook

A new “Ville” title has launched on Facebook, and for once it doesn’t come from Zynga. A game only in the loosest sense of the word, ChatVille was created by the developers behind the instant messaging tool Digsby and works by pairing two random Facebook users together into a video chat where they can talk to each other and send rewards and compliments if the chat goes well.

Once the application verifies that your web cam is working properly, you’re just one click away from being paired up with another ChatVille user for a face-to-face chat. If the thought of video chatting with complete strangers over the Internet is sending up all sorts of alarm bells, you can take some comfort in the fact that theoretically you’re less likely to run into people being explicit or lewd on ChatVille than you are on other services because it’s running through Facebook, which has strict rules about inappropriate content.

The key to whether ChatVille takes off or flops is likely going to center on whether the developers are able to keep things clean. Similar video chat services, most notable ChatRoulette have had their integrity compromised by users engaging in sexual and other inappropriate content. Hopefully the threat of being kicked off Facebook if they do something naughty will go a long way towards keeping ChatVille users on their best behavior.